Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans….

U2….is this the way of the future?

Something amazing happened this morning. Nothing too serious on a world scale…..or is it?

U2 released their new album, “Songs of Innocence” on iTunes for fans to listen to for free! Yep, no cost to music fans. Absolutely 100% free for anyone with access to iTunes. A grand idea I must say and in some respects, the way of the future.

It was only a few years ago now (October 2007) that Radiohead released “In Rainbows” as a download whereby, fans were given the option to pay whatever price they felt necessary. By doing this, through their own website, the band effectively took control of their own finances from sales of the album.

Fast forward to 2014 and U2, a group who have more than made enough money have taken the LP release one step further by allowing fans to download their album for free. And lets face it, record labels have been fleecing music consumers for far too long. When new release albums were selling for $35 in Australia back in the mid to late 90s, the artist was lucky to see $1 from each sale. How were labels able to justify the price tag when artists were receiving so little in return? They weren’t. It was pure greed driven by an unsuspecting consumer market.

U2 should be applauded for perhaps, paving the way for the future. Fingers crossed more bands and artists wake up to the future. Besides, how much money is too much for a major act?